Chapter 19
Denham
Ifeel like I’ve been thrown into a super-hot inferno of hell.
I sit in my office after another long day at the hospital and pour myself a whiskey.
I know I’ve been drinking far too much, but as much as I drink it does nothing to quiet my mind.
Thoughts race at the speed and power of a thousand galloping horses, and it never stops.
I’m trying to piece it all together, but no matter how hard I try, it still doesn’t make sense.
Why him? Why my brother?
If we had just gone inside a minute sooner …
Why her? My girl …
If she had just given me the courtesy of an explanation.
Even when my father died, I never felt so lost, so angry and as helpless as I do now.
Spike, Arianna …
Fuck, I don’t know what hurts the most. They’ve both torn my heart to shreds, and in totally different ways.
How could she do that to me? To us? Was she really that good of an actress that I felt something that wasn’t there at all? Was I so blinded by her that I opened my heart and let her rip it from my chest? Fuck it …
I slam back the whiskey and grab the bottle to pour another even as the burn is still fresh in the back of my throat.
My thumb rolls over the screen of my cell and brings it to life.
Her pretty face stares back at me from the screen picture I can’t bear to delete.
Then I scroll to the last message she sent me, and my chest goes into a spasm.
I can’t do this. See you around. A x
Fuck, it hurts. I expect the words to have less of an impact each time I open it up, but it doesn’t.
So cold. Impersonal, and just … it’s not right.
I know I should let it go, but I can’t. She came back here while Spike was fighting for his life in that hospital bed and took all of her belongings.
All except for her designs. She took everything else, including the diamonds- $50,000 worth of diamonds.
Is that what she wanted all along? Money?
I recall what James Ellis, or Jonny as she called him, said that night, ‘If you’ve got cash, she’s a loose cannon.
’ Fucking hell, James Ellis for fuck’s sake.
I had heard of him, but he is known as being illusive.
He’s also known as one of the biggest investors in Las Vegas, and since that night, no one has been able to trace him.
So, they were in it together? Her tall tales about abuse were all cleverly invented to what? Con me?
There is a knock at the door, and then Jack pushes it open cautiously,
“I’m sorry, sir. He insists he has something you need to know,” Jack says cryptically as he pushes the door open wide.
The anger and frustration that’s dangerously bubbling up through my chest, rises a few more degrees when I see Aaron Jamesson standing there.
“You,” I say viciously, leaning forward in my seat like a tiger ready to pounce.
This is the guy that not only ripped me off, he hurt my girl.
Her ex-husband who actually caused her physical pain.
Jealousy and anger rage in my stomach and I am totally ready to hurdle this desk in front of me and nail him to the wall.
He holds his hands up in front of him and stutters, “I just need five minutes of your time, then you can do what you want with me.”
“You’ve got two minutes to tell me what’s so important that I shouldn’t beat you into the ground right now,” I growl, barely controlling my temper.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know it wouldn’t be right to unleash such frustration on him but I can’t help but think how good it would feel.
My hands ball into fists at my side and clench tightly.
“I know where she is and I need your help.”
“What?”
“Natalie … I-I mean, Arianna. She’s with James Ellis.”
“You wanna tell me something I don’t know?” I say, huffing in frustration. I’m giving him thirty seconds to convince me not to hammer his head into my desk.
“He’s dangerous.”
“No, they’re a pair of fucking twisted hyenas.”
“He’s hurt her, bad.”
My skin prickles and I feel like he’s just taken the breath from my lungs.
“Are you shitting me?”
He answers quickly, shaking his head frantically. “No. No. I promise.”
“Cause if you’re messing with me, I’ll put a fucking bullet through that thick head of yours … and god help me, I will do it.”
“Look. I know you have no reason to believe me, and I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.
I owe him. So, he had me deliver flowers to her, here and at her work.
He had me drop your sister off here the other morning.
Then after the night of the ball, he called and told me the debt was paid. Sir, I think he …”
“He, what? For fuck’s sake!”
“I think he was responsible for your brother’s accident, sir.”
“You’re treading on lethal territory here.”
“Look, you don’t have to believe me; I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. But something didn’t sit right with me, so I watched his condo. No one had gone in or out until tonight … something happened and …”
“And?” I bark impatiently.
“Two hours ago, he carried her out, unconscious. They’ve gone to the private hospital just outside of Boulder City.”
“Let me just get this straight, you work for him? How do I know you’re not playing me?” I ask. I don’t want to believe this is true, because if it is, and Arianna is hurt somewhere, then I want to know about it. But if he’s playing me, this could be really fucking nasty, for him.
He sighs and hesitates before he answers.
“I fucked around on her. Just before we got married, I cheated on her, and he had photographic evidence. He blackmailed me. I never wanted to rip you off, Mr. King, but I had no choice, I was trying to protect the girl I eventually fell in love with. After he had found her, he threatened the safety of her, and my family, if I didn’t work for him. I couldn’t risk that. So …”
“You fucking idiot. All this because you couldn’t keep your dick in your pants?”
I knew it. I fucking knew something wasn’t right and I sat on that feeling while the evil fucker was hurting my girl.
“Jack,” I bark. “Get the SUV up front. You,” I point at Aaron, “You’re coming with us.”
He nods solemnly.
“I’m sorry … about all of this …”
“You will be if we don’t get my girl back in one piece.”
I click open the safe and do something I never thought I would have to do.
I load my father’s gun and tuck it into the waistband of my jeans.
Aaron waits at the door with his head hung low in a defeated stance.
I don’t want to, but I feel sorry for him.
We have half an hour, maybe less, in the time it will take us to get to Boulder, so I’ll get everything out of him along the way.
“Hey,” Says a little voice from the doorway.
“Lottie. What are you doing here, babe?” I ask, trying to act as normal as possible.
“Your mom and Tara are with Spike, I need a drink. You busy?”
“Uh … yeah, I have some stuff I have to do. How’s the old boy doing?” I pull on my blazer as she talks. She shrugs before answering and her eyes start to glisten with tears.
“He doesn’t want me there.” Her voice cracks.
I cross the room to pull her into me. When they brought Spike out of his induced coma, he was confused.
Since he realized he can’t feel his legs, he’s been so angry, he doesn’t want anyone close.
It’s not confirmed that he will never have the use of his legs, but there’s a strong chance.
Lottie is taking his rejection personally, although at the moment, Spike is just mad at the world. I know that feeling.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and rest, Lottie? It’s been a tough few days.”
“Will you stay with me?” she asks.
“I-I’m sorry, Lotts, I have something I need to do.”
“Like what?” She narrows her eyes at me and I know I’m not covering this well. “Who’s he?” She tilts her head toward Aaron and narrows her eyes. Her radar is sharp, and I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this one. “Denham … What’s going on here?”
“I can’t tell you. Please trust me on this.”
“Has it got something to do with Arianna? ’Cause if it does, and I find out you didn’t tell me, I’m gonna …” She’s standing on her tiptoes, getting redder in the face with every second that she talks and as much as I would like to stay here and tell her everything I know, this is wasting time.
“Okay. I know where she is and I’m going to get her back. I can’t stand here talking all night; I will fill you in when I get back. Hopefully with her.”
I usher her out of the office door and stride down the corridor with her hot on my heels.
“I’m coming.”
“No. You’re staying here.”
“Not a chance, King. She means as much to me as she does to you. Where are we going? You can catch me up on the way.”
Fighting with her is futile. I know I should have made up another reason for where I was going, but my mind is so consumed with getting Arianna back that I can’t think of anything else but her. Nothing else exists right now.
“Fine, but you stay in the car,” I tell her.
“We’ll see.”
Fucking stubborn woman.
Aaron fills Lottie and me in, the best he can, on the way to Boulder City.
I actually feel sorry for the poor guy. I know he hit her, once.
And I want to knock his head off his shoulders for that, but I’m more grateful that he thought to come to me now.
If he hadn’t, well, who knows what could have happened to Arianna.
I’m desperate to see her. I’m desperate to know that she’s okay.
I also find out that Jonny was indeed responsible for Tara’s situation the other day. He slipped a sedative in her drink at the bar that night then sent Aaron and someone else to dump her at The Kingdom. If I ever get my hands on that man, he’s going to be one sorry fucker.
We pull up to the medical center and park. There are a couple of other cars parked here, but everything is very quiet otherwise.
“Is his car here? Are we likely to walk into him?” I ask Aaron.